Balance
by the-bonny-wordsmith
Summary: Set four years after the end of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Zuko and Katara have kept in regular contact. In a holiday at the Fire Lord's Summer Palace on Ember Island the two begin reassessing their relationship, the outcome of which is an emotional journey from which Zuko learns new things about himself.
1. Chapter 1: A Night of Revelations

_~Chapter One~ A Night of Revelations_

Katara sat in the soft grass of a stone walled garden, leaning idly against the smooth shining bark of a weeping cherry tree, the branches of which arched delicately over her. A few leaves, the buds still furled, stroked the surface of the clear green pond by her feet, shifting and rippling the water when a breeze caught their stems, turtleducks paddling nimbly about them. Her bare feet stirred the cool water (the only cooling presence in the garden besides the occasional breeze that blew across her rose-tinted cheeks and tinkled a nearby metal wind chime). The garden was filled with warm gold sunlight from the sun that was setting beyond the walls – so different to the stark white clarity that she had grown up with in the South Pole – which she had grown to recognise as one of the things she loved about the Fire Nation.

Katara's hands moved lovingly in her lap as they stroked the dark strands of Zuko's fringe back from his forehead. He was the one thing in the Fire Nation she loved above all others; the lodestone of her heart.

Zuko's eyes were blissfully closed as he reclined in the soft grass at Katara's side, his fingers interlaced behind his head, enjoying the stroking motion of Katara's hands along his head and in his hair. He loved the perfectly shaped crook that the bend in her lap created for his head, and the soft gentleness of her fingers in his hair and on his head. If the relaxing peacefulness they induced in him was not present, he would have opened his eyes, simply to drink in every movement and expression of her well-loved face. He knew all of her expressions well enough to be able to conjure them before his eyes, but they were nothing to gazing upon the real thing. The young Fire Lord had not felt such a sense of all pervading calmness since his childhood, sitting by the same pond feeding the young turtleducklings with his mother.

He frowned slightly with anger, eyes snapping open as he recalled her sacrifice for him – the ruthlessness of his evil father – and his scar and skin all over burned slightly with the flare of his fury.

Katara felt the tension of anger in Zuko as he stiffened. She smiled with gentle empathy at the anger and anguish that glimmered in his golden eyes, which gazed off with preoccupied intensity to a place that she could never go. Gently she let her fingers drift down from his hair to his face, her touch as light as a butterfly's, to soothe and stroke the fireball shaped scar over Zuko's left eye. The shiny maroon-coloured skin was smooth and firm, pulled taut. It pained her to see the suffering it had, and still did, put Zuko through, and although she could not go with him, she could ease the ache in his heart, and suffering and pain that the memories caused him.

Zuko continued to frown for a minute or so, but then succumbed to the relaxing sensations of Katara's smooth cool hands on the anger-warmed skin of his scar as she brought him back. His contracted brows relaxed as he closed his eyes, and he let out a heavy sigh that steamed slightly. Even when she wasn't using her considerable healing abilities there was something soothing about the gentling touch of Katara's hands. Zuko smiled, his eyes slightly open. It was a small secret smile, a softness in his golden eyes, that he could never prevent himself from smiling whenever he thought of her, and in her presence, it burgeoned into a smile of such tender sweetness that it broke Katara's heart every time she saw it, and made her fall in love with Zuko all over again.

With a lithe, graceful movement, Zuko sat up, propped up on his right hand, and leaning over Katara's lap. Their faces were almost touching. His slanted gold eyes burned into hers with a feverish intensity that lit fires in Katara's cheeks and set her heart hammering almost out of her chest. Her round blue eyes sparkled out of her blushing face, gazing into his with such unquestioning love and devotion that Zuko felt his breath catch in his mouth, and for a moment he could not breathe, only gaze at her.

Then, just before he closed the gap between them, he murmured, "I love you, Katara," his warm breath enveloping her. Katara smiled gently as their noses brushed, her smile widening as their lips closed with gentle firmness on each other.

Ж

Katara sat bolt upright in her bed, face flushed, the silk sheets of the bed flying to pool on the floor with the suddenness of her movement. Her skin was cold and covered in goose bumps, but there was a slick sheen of sweat on her body, and inside she glowed with heat. She sat, burning hot and cold simultaneously, unmoving, breathing hard in the darkness of the Fire Lord's summer palace on Ember Island.

* * *

Zuko had recently invited her, Sokka, Suki, Aang and Toph to come and spend the summer with him in the palace. He had had it refurbished, opening up the dark gloomy spaces that had been shut up since his childhood, and letting in the warmth and light of the fresh summer air. Repairs had also been made to the damage that he and Aang had done last time they were there, and it had become altogether more like the welcoming holiday home that it was supposed to be like. They had been there for a week already, and they all had to admit that it was the perfect place to be, even if the last time they had all been there together it had been as fugitives.

It had been a something of a surprise when Zuko met them alone upon their arrival on Appa – Aang having picked them all up from the Southern Water Tribe, as Suki was spending sometime with Sokka there, Toph having already been with Aang visiting the Air temples –, expecting him to have his Uncle Iroh, or at the very least his girlfriend Mai, for company.

In Katara's eyes, however, this had been eclipsed by her astonishment at Zuko's appearance. Four years had done a great deal to his appearance, given that the last time they had all been together as a group had been for a couple of weeks in Ba Sing Se, spending time at the Jasmine Dragon after Zuko's coronation, at the beginning of the new era of peace.

Time had stripped back the boyish roundness of his face, leaving it more angular and mature, revealing that he really was twenty and an adult now, rather than the hot-headed teenager he had been (although Katara knew that Zuko's temper could still be as ferocious if sparked). Katara had found herself having to tilt her head slightly to meet his warm golden eyes, due to a growth spurt that had left him more than a head taller. Self-consciously, she had blushed as their eyes met, and Zuko too seemed to have a slight flush colouring his pale cheeks. For all the growth and changes that he had undergone, his hair hadn't changed at all since their last meeting; it still fell in disorderly spikes over and about his face, for he had removed his topknot for the occasion, and the faint half-smile that had self-consciously quirked his lips was familiar – Katara privately felt glad that his smile hadn't changed. His golden eyes seemed sterner with the burden of responsibility, but laughing and soft at the same time; very different from the blazing hate that she had grown to recognise in them in the year that he had hunted Aang.

Zuko had expressed his own surprise at the difference in their appearances, which Katara had grown inured to. True, both Sokka and Aang were taller, more angular, just as Zuko was, but in essence, they were still the same. Aang was now taller than her (to her irritated resignation), despite being younger by two years, and had filled out into an adolescent, although he still retained some of the child-like mannerisms and positive outlook that were synonymous with being an airbender. Sokka had begun to grow a beard for some unfathomable reason (an addition that Suki constantly complained about), and had bulked up a bit as he had undergone serious warrior training with his father, making up for lost time, although Hakoda had begun to sit back from the training field more recently. Katara and Suki had remained just about the same in their own opinions, except Katara had relinquished wearing her mother's necklace, storing it carefully in a box kept by Hakoda. The closure she had gained after the war had ended had given her sufficient motivation to think about the necklace, and to come to the conclusion that she carried her mother inside of her, and did not need the inner strength to be in a physical form any longer. Of the girls, Toph showed the biggest change. She, like Aang, had grown into adolescence, gaining height, but still shorter than the two older girls, and retained a child-like roundness in her features that it appeared she would retain as an adult.

Surprised at the absence of Zuko's Uncle and girlfriend, they had asked after them. It transpired that Iroh, although offered an invitation, had declined, due to a surge in business at the Jasmine Dragon, which he was beginning to expand, and when Katara had inquired tentatively after Mai, all she had received was an unreadable glance from Zuko that confused her even more. The logical explanation was, of course, that they had had an argument. She had talked to Toph and Suki about it, asking them to quiz the young Fire Lord, but they too had returned confused, unable to extract any explanation from Zuko about his girlfriend's absence.

For all this, however, Zuko was a gracious host, and the burden of being the Fire Lord for four years already did not appear to weigh as heavily on his shoulders as Katara had first thought it might. At twenty it seemed he had truly grown into the position, especially if the peace that reigned in the world was anything to judge by. A new Earth King had been found for Ba Sing Se, and those of the Dai Li that remained untrustworthy had had their bending removed. Aang had visited Bumi in Omashu (taking Toph to meet his old friend) where things had returned to normal, and the Southern Water Tribe was beginning to grow and rebuild itself with the men returned, and with the addition of people and waterbenders brought by Pakku from the Northern Sister-Tribe. The majority of the Fire Nation had been happy enough to submit to the wishes of their new Fire Lord, although some dissidents still remained – but that was inevitable.

Although she too was four years older, Katara still felt like the young fourteen year old girl she had been before she and Sokka had discovered Aang and Appa in the iceberg when she first came into Zuko's presence. He looked so…_solemn_, and distant to begin with – for all the communication they had kept up.

All of them felt a little shy of one another to begin with, even though Katara, Aang, Sokka, Suki and Toph had spent the journey together. But the awkwardness had soon drained away, and soon they were all chatting together like old times. Zuko had dismissed all the servants, and the friends soon found themselves falling back into the routines they had lived with for a year when they were on the run.

It had saddened Katara that Zuko was unhappy, as was clear from his general demeanour when she glanced at him at the times when he thought no one was looking. They had become good friends before Sozin's Comet, and since their joint battle against Azula near the end of the war their friendship had grown to the extent that they regularly corresponded via messenger hawk. Katara filled Zuko in on Sokka's latest exploits (which, what with the return of his like-minded father and Bato, had begun to become more and more outlandish and wild – despite Suki's influence and Gran-gran's continued remonstrations), on the news that Gran-gran and Pakku had reignited their old relationship and had married, and how the rebuilding of the Tribe was going – some valuable improvements for which Zuko had suggested. For his part Zuko wrote about daily life being the Fire Lord, discussed official business, and complained about the various sycophants and oppositions he had to encounter in the Royal Court, amusing Katara, and in turn received counselling and advice for which Katara was proving herself surprisingly adept. Zuko had also begun searching for his mother, a fact that he had shared only with Katara and Iroh, and in turn, Katara often sent helpful advice, and ideas of where he might look for her; as yet, however, it had been in vain. Deprived of his Uncle as an instant sounding board and confidant, Zuko had grown to depend on his communication with Katara because of the promptness with which she always wrote back (Iroh had a tendency to take a long time, getting distracted by his tea shop). Katara, missing the freedom and broadened perspective that her travels had given her, began to depend on Zuko as a source of outside information – not that she did not enjoy the locality of her situation, for she was heavily involved with Pakku and the other waterbenders, in building and expanding the Tribe's architecture, which involved learning a great deal of new waterbending forms.

* * *

However, for all that Katara had settled back into her old way of life, there were still times at night when she would suddenly start awake, sweating, having relived the moment when Zuko had shielded her from Azula's lightning with his own body, and the fear that it had struck into her heart.

Not for herself; but for Zuko.

Thinking about her fantasising dream and the past brought back memories of that old nightmare, and Katara rubbed her arms as her skin prickled at the thought.

Zuko.

Dead.

It was unthinkable.

Katara screwed the heel of her palms into her eyes, and scrubbed her hands up into her hair, frowning. But why did she feel this way? She had not always felt like this. She recalled when he had first joined their group, and the death threat she had made to him. She shuddered involuntarily, angry at her own foolish hot-headedness. With a gusty sigh she flopped back into her pillows, her mind dwelling, rather pleasantly, on Zuko. She smiled slightly. Her mind full of the fuzzy feeling that she always felt when she received one of his letters, or when she thought about him. It was ironic the amount of affection she felt for him now, especially when she had spent almost a year of her life hating him. Perhaps it was merely an increase in her friendship with him. She recalled his touching interest and kindness when she and Aang had announced that they weren't going to continue their relationship during their stay in Ba Sing Se after Zuko's coronation. He had been so concerned and anxious, so supportive – the only one who _had_ been right from the start, despite his own shock.

Katara rolled over onto her side, lying illuminated in a patch of silver light as the moon shone through the half-closed shutters. She thought about the event. Both she and Aang knew, after their kiss in Ba Sing Se once the war had ended, and as Sokka drew his hideous painting of them all, that they were not meant to be together. They could be, if they wanted – there would have been no lack of genuine friendship or mutual respect, and even affection of a sort, in their relationship – but both had confessed to each other after a week of slightly awkward discussions that they knew their relationship lacked the passion it should have contained it they were truly in love with each other, and that if they had tried to make it work in that way, neither would remain happy for long. On both sides it had just been young love – particularly for Aang; Katara had been the first girl he had ever loved. They were content now to remain good, close friends; but nothing more.

Katara knew that she would feel something special when she found the man she was supposed to be with. She wasn't sure what, but she knew, inexplicably, that she would feel something. A flash of sparks perhaps. She had speculated at length on nights when she couldn't sleep as to who he might be, whether she had met him already, but had only managed to come to the conclusion that he might be a powerful bender. After all, Aunt Wu _had_ predicted that she would fall in love with a powerful bender. She had thought that it might be Aang – after all, who could be more powerful than the Avatar – but, then again, Sokka had caused some doubts as to Aunt Wu's veracity, and she knew better than to live her life by a prediction now.

Usually she fell asleep before she could think of any other possibilities, and her dreams would be filled with faceless men bending the elements; that at least was a high possibility.

Once she and Aang had decided upon a course of action it had been easy. The shocked expressions of the others had been hard to bear at first, but soothed by Zuko's support, and the mutual agreement and easiness she and Aang shared with one another afterwards; once sorted, all awkwardness had disappeared.

* * *

Katara shook her head, trying to clear it. It felt muzzy with warmth and old memories. Silently she got up, wearing only her underclothes and a blue silk robe Zuko had provided (it appeared he had organised for all of their wardrobes to be filled with appropriate clothing for the hot weather), and left her room.

The cool silence of the house was soothing, calming her thoughts, and Katara felt her mind turning back to the events of that day, trying to find a reason for her dream about Zuko. She had often dreamt about him, probably once a week; generally after receiving a letter, but none of her dreams or nightmares had even been like this had.

It had been cool enough that morning that the boys had decided to organise a bending competition. Sokka and Suki, of course, were the only non-benders, and so acted as referees and judges. To make it fair Aang was only allowed to airbend, so that each of them represented one of the elements. Toph had been all for the fight, raring to go, but Katara had taken a bit of persuading from the others and the situation in which it was achieved had been acutely embarrassing for her. She blushed at the memory as she walked idly along.

She had been watching Zuko practice his bending alone in the courtyard, standing in the shadows by one of the entrances. He had only been wearing his usual trousers, and his muscular chest was slick with sweat from his exertions and the heat of the flames he had been bending. More than anything else, Katara had not made her presence known because, although she did appreciate the grace and strength with which he executed the various stances, she also couldn't keep her eyes from wandering back along his sculpted chest, up the swiftly moving planes of muscle along his back and shoulders, along his arms as they flexed, and up to his face where she lingered on the sweet, slightly stern, but completely calm expression on it as he concentrated.

She had not intentionally sought him out, only stumbled upon the courtyard as she wandered about the house, and had originally not had any intention of watching him. It was odd, seeing him after the years of their communication; but she could see the Zuko that she knew from his letters in the Zuko before her. She did not know how long she might have continued to stand there for, if it had not been for Aang and Sokka bursting in, clamouring for her support of their idea – apparently having been told by Toph where she was. It had been difficult to cover up that she had been watching – Zuko having instantly noticed their combined presence, and stopped his practice. It had become even more awkward for her when he came over, a questioning smile on his lips and a spark of interest about the discussion kindled in his eyes as he wiped the sweat off himself with a towel. Sokka – completely oblivious to everything – had began to ask, having finally realised, "Katara, why were you watc–". As much as she wished she could have slapped Sokka with the water from the fountain, Katara felt it would have been a little too obvious, and instead, for the sake of shutting him up in as inconspicuous a manner as possible, she had hastily agreed, angry with herself for blushing as Aang and Sokka turned to Zuko, asking him to join in.

The actual competition had been pretty fun, she had to admit, but all through it she had had the slightly uncomfortable sensation that Zuko was watching her, and occasionally when she glanced at him, trying to see if he was, their eyes met and she couldn't help but go red. More than once this had cost her when she was fighting Toph, as, although the earthbender couldn't see, her strikes caught Katara off guard.

Zuko too had seemed somewhat nervy. Whenever their eyes met across the courtyard, he too flamed, his pale cheeks flushing, and a small smile tugged his lips each time he caught her glancing at him – a fact that both pleased and irritated Katara, even through her embarrassment.

In the private darkness of the empty corridors, Katara flushed as she remembered when she and Zuko had finally versed each other. There had been a moment when had come face to face, a breath away from touching, and both had frozen, gazing into each others eyes. Sokka, with his usual impeccable timing, had ruined the moment, calling out for them to hurry up with the competition, and to get moving.

Now, as she wandered aimlessly through the soothing dark corridors of the summer palace, Katara wondered why she had been dreaming about Zuko. What was more, Zuko _kissing_ her! She felt her face flush warmly in the darkness, and pressed her glowing cheeks against a cool wooden pillar, eyes closed. Her mind wandered back to her dream. It had felt nice, kissing Zuko. _Very_ nice. Katara frowned slightly. This was ridiculous. She shouldn't be dreaming about this sort of stuff. He was Zuko! _Fire Lord Zuko!_ He had a _girlfriend_. They were just close friends. Nothing more, nothing less.

A little thought flowered in the back of her mind, small and tentative. _But, perhaps, he doesn't like Mai anymore_, said the small voice. Perhaps that was why she was not there; that they had had an argument or had separated. Perhaps that was why every time their eyes met, he blushed. Or was that just wishful thinking? Katara sighed, frowning deeply.

She shook her head.

Deep inside her heart, Katara admitted that she did wish that Zuko and Mai weren't together anymore. _Don't be stupid_, said her conscience. _Zuko and Mai are your friends_. It was true. Friendship had grown in the entire group for Mai, once they had all gotten to know her, and after Sokka had dropped his partially unfounded suspicions. _Zuko depends on you. He was supportive of you – you must be supportive of him._

In an attempt to drive away the trickle of inviting thoughts that had begun to spin off the dream and her conjectures, Katara immersed herself in the soft feeling of the wind stroking her warm cheeks, and the cool smoothness of the wood against her face. The night air was pleasantly warm, with the occasional cool breeze blowing in from across the sea. It was fresh and vibrant, even at night. _It was just a dream_, she thought to herself. _It means nothing; it was just a dream._

Unknowingly, Katara's legs had taken her back to the same courtyard she had watched Zuko practicing in that day, and that the competition had later been held in. As she stood, leaning against the cool pillar, a sound came to her. Opening her eyes she glanced about in the darkness, a fleeting moment of fear striking her heart as she recalled the terror of being hunted. She shook herself, remembering that the Fire Nation no longer ruled the world, that she was safe, a friend of the Fire Lord, and that the hundred years of war was over. Mastering the irrational stab of fear, Katara breathed deeply. Curiously, she peered around the side of the pillar.


	2. Chapter 2: Discovery

_~Chapter Two~ Discovery_

Zuko was practising his firebending again. It appeared that Katara was not the only one to have an interrupted sleep, for Zuko, too, was clad in the trousers he slept in and a red silk robe. Katara stayed where she was, still clutching the large circular column, one cheek pressed against it. Her cheeks, which had begun to cool, were flushed once more as she watched Zuko flowing smoothly through various poses and formations. As she watched, Katara frowned, the blush of embarrassment fading from her cheeks. She straightened her posture, the keenness of her gaze becoming that of the master waterbender she was, rather than the admiring young woman she had been moments before. Zuko's movements were unfamiliar, yet familiar to her. She had observed him sufficient times during the course of their friendship and enmity to know what firebending looked like (besides the numerous firebenders that had attacked them all before the war had ended) and while his movements did appear to have their origins in firebending, there was some of the suppleness that she recognised from her own waterbending. In her confusion, Katara gazed up at the full moon, hoping for some inspiration and drawing strength from it.

She was not the only one that the moon seemed to be empowering, however. Zuko, for some inexplicable reason, was drawing strength from the moon – an incomprehensible act, for he was a firebender, and should have felt weakness with the waxing of the moon. Waterbenders rose with the moon, not firebenders. They were supposed to draw their strength from the sun.

As Katara watched, struck dumb with stupefaction, Zuko breathed out a long thin stream of fire. Her blue eyes widened, reflecting the full moon twice as Zuko began to move the cord of flames about, the same way she manipulated water. Before she knew what she was doing she had let out a soft gasp of astonishment.

Zuko paused, the fire fading away in a swirling vortex of sparkling motes that drifted up into the inky sky, and glanced in her direction. Instantly, Katara snapped her arms to her sides, hoping that the girth of the post was wide enough to hide her from Zuko's gaze.

"Hello?" Zuko called, slightly confused. Katara felt an inexplicable shiver run through her body at the sound of his voice, and her knees wobbled slightly, refusing to remain under her control. _Don't be stupid! Get a grip!_ She thought to herself, reining in the wild feelings that were galloping around her heart like ostrich horses.

There were soft footsteps, and a glow of warm yellow light illuminated the ground between the pillar she hid behind and the next, spilling over onto the polished floorboards of the hallway she had walked along. Katara froze. Slowly, she sidled around the edge of the pillar as Zuko advanced, not wishing him to know that she had been watching him, even if she hadn't intended to.

Zuko paused, standing between the two pillars on either side of the open entrance to the hallway, one hand upraised with a small glowing flame cupped his palm. Zuko frowned, bemused. He was sure he had heard a sound – a gasp, he _had_ thought – and seen a familiar shadowy figure with sparkling blue eyes…a flutter of blue silk… But then again, perhaps he was just imagining it. Zuko scrubbed his tired eyes with his free hand, ruffling his hair with a deep sigh. He was being stupid. He had only seen and heard what had thought he had seen and heard because of the person that had been engaging his mind at the time. Katara… Zuko's face softened as he smiled slightly, eyes wistful. He had thought, today, that she had been watching him firebend before Sokka and Aang had appeared…but then again, perhaps that too had been merely wishful thinking. Zuko moved forwards, looking around the corridor, and shining light into the corners. He shrugged, golden eyes downcast, moving off back to his rooms.

Katara's fevered eyes followed Zuko's receding silhouette, one hand reaching for him from the shadows and turned silver by moonlight.

Zuko lay on his bed, wide awake. Physically and mentally he was tired, drained in fact, but every time his thoughts alighted upon Katara he was brought back into lucidity. He couldn't keep her out of his thoughts. Her voice, her hair, her eyes, her smile, the way she walked, the bright spark that lit her eyes when she was angry, even what her handwriting looked like; all of them were so dear to him. He had devoted countless hours that day trying to figure out whether she had been watching him bending. They were close enough friends that she should have been able to simply come out and sit in the sun if she wanted to watch him bend, rather than hiding in the shadows. _I mean_, he thought to himself, _we've been communicating with each other by messenger hawk for the past four years…she can't still be shy around me, right?_ Zuko sighed rubbing his eyes. Then he froze.

Was her shyness was indicative of something?

Zuko frowned, hitting himself on the forehead with the heel of his palm. "Stupid!" He muttered to himself, angrily. Of course she didn't like him in that way…in the way that he wished she did…in the way that he thought of her. For the better part of their relationship she had hated him; loathed him. She had even threatened to kill him if he harmed Aang when he had first joined the group. Her words and expression haunted him at night; _You make one step backwards…one slip up…give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang, and you won't have to worry about you 'destiny' anymore. Because I'll make sure that your destiny ends, right then and there, permanently._ Zuko rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, brows drawn together concernedly. He knew now that Katara didn't hate him. They had cleared that well before the invasion, when they had searched for the Southern Raiders and Yon Rah, but the memory of her face, contorted with her hatred of him, still terrorised him.

On long nights he was tormented by the thought of what would have happened during his Agni Kai with Azula if he hadn't blocked the lightning. If he hadn't been in time. If he hadn't realised. The fear and terror that the moment of realisation; that Azula was aiming at Katara; that Katara might die, brought him sharply out of his sleep regularly.

But Azula was taken care of. He knew that. Aang had removed her firebending before he had been crowned Fire Lord. But still, the possibility had once been there. Zuko shivered involuntarily, his skin creeping cold at the thought.

Katara.

Dead.

It was unthinkable.

Zuko shook himself vehemently, ripping back the silk sheets and rising to his feet in a forceful, fluid motion. He stood in the middle of his room, body constricted and rigid. Since Mai had left him his thoughts had turned to Katara more and more often, until now his entire being revolved around her. He couldn't sleep for thinking about her. He didn't even know when his desire to be accepted as a good person by her had changed to a desire to be accepted into her heart.

_Her heart…_ Zuko thought to himself. The pain and hope that flared simultaneously in him every time he thought about it was almost unbearable. In all their correspondences there had never been any mention of guys, or any particular guy – it was the one thing that cheered him up. He had kept all of her letters in a special and secret box, hidden away in a firebending sealed compartment in his rooms, unaware that on the other side of the world, Katara too was storing his letters in a box she concealed beneath her sleeping bag, hidden by bended ice.

Zuko had not told Katara of his separation with Mai. He did not know exactly why he hadn't when he had confided all other aspects of his life with her. He probed his feelings gently, curious. It was something he had avoided doing for fear of the truth that he might uncover. Slowly, the realisation trickled through to him, like sand through a minute hourglass. Telling Katara was something he had constantly struggled with since Mai's announcement. Half of him yearned to tell her – not to seek her sympathy – but so he could tell someone feminine and empathetic about the confusion he felt regarding his lack of sadness about the break up, and because a large part of him longed to find out whether she felt in reciprocal interest in him that she was repressing because of Mai, and what she might like in a young man. Extensive as Zuko's knowledge was of Katara, they had not delved into the rushing straits and rapids of relationships. The other half did not wish to share to news, for fear that Katara might tell him of a young man that was in her life, feeling that as he had instigated the topic, it would be all right to discuss her relationships with other…men. Even thinking it, the word was a struggle to confront. Zuko felt an aching pang in his heart, a demoralising thrum that made it feel as if his heart had become brittle and was on the verge of shattering. He shelved the thought in a dark corner of his mind, hidden from the light of his thoughts – it was simply too devastating to contemplate.

Initially he had brushed the feelings off, sure that he had just been confused by Mai's leaving him; but it hadn't taken him long to realise that he wasn't shattered on the inside the way he should have felt after Mai had dumped him. In fact, he had almost felt freed; as though his relationship with Mai had been like a dam holding back the tide of memories and emotions about Katara that now washed his insides.

But he knew that his…love (he barely even dared to think the word) for Katara was hopeless. Pointless. He might as well wish that he was a waterbender for all that it would come true.

He was Fire Nation, she was Water Tribe. They represented opposing elements. They were just too different.

He had managed to convince himself that there was no point in letting his feelings continue; that trying to bridge the gap between them, even though it had been somewhat lessened by his helping her to find Yon Rah, was impossible – it was just too big a gap to cross. They were just friends, it was as close as they were ever going to get. He had set his decision in stone walls as thick as those of Ba Sing Se.

Yet, his resolve had crumbled when he first saw her arrive.

In four years she had grown, just as much as himself. True she was only a little taller than she had been, but the babyish roundness in her jaw had disappeared, replaced by a smooth, slim line, and her body had changed and matured in the curves of the woman that she now was. It had not been the growth in her looks that had broken the walls of his decision, however; it had only fissured them slightly. It had been the sparkle in her blue eyes as they gazed up into his for the first time, and the fleeting pink blush that had crept across her cheeks before she realised and quickly lowered her gaze; that had driven all thoughts of his stern resolve and Mai right out of his mind.

His guilt twinged slightly as he remembered Mai. They had loved each other, once. He remembered her threat; _Don't _ever_ break up with me again._ And yet that was what she had done three months ago. He understood why, and didn't begrudge her for it. She had led her entire life bound by rules, and marrying the Fire Lord certainly wouldn't make her any freer. She would have had even more duties, even more rules. He couldn't have condemned her to that. Mai had admitted that she still cared for him, but both knew that their love stemmed from a childhood crush, and while their entire pasts were entwined, it would be better if they remained close friends. There had been no animosity in their parting, but it had thrown Zuko into a convulsing world of emotions about Katara, and as a result he was constantly drawn between the extremes; she loved him or she hated him.

He wished his Uncle was there. He knew that he had to learn to be less dependant on his Uncle, that one day he would be forced to…after all, Iroh wasn't exactly young. The thought pained Zuko's heart. Iroh had been his father-like figure; his only real parent since the loss of his mother and his own banishment. Perhaps that was why he always turned to him when he was in trouble. Perhaps he was trying to catch up for lost time. Zuko shook his head. Maybe it was simply because he knew that his Uncle would always be there for him. He had known that, even when he had left his Uncle behind in the Earth Kingdom; he had known that if he needed him, his Uncle would never have deserted him.

Zuko recalled their reconciliation before the war had ended, inside the walls of Ba Sing Se in the camp of the White Lotus; that Iroh had never been angry with him, just sad _for_ him, that he had lost his way. A tear slipped from his scarred eye. Iroh was the father that he had wanted and needed all along.

The last time they had spoken face to face was before he had left for Ember Island, two and a half months after Mai had left him. He had travelled to Ba Sing Se, seeking out Iroh in his tea shop. Zuko remembered asking the old man for advice, for an explanation of why he did not feel sad in the way he should have that Mai had left him. Iroh had poured him a cup of ginseng tea, smiling. Zuko frowned, trying to recall his Uncle's words. _A relationship must have balance. The whole universe is centred around this principle. The idea of Yin and Yang. You and Mai would never have worked because you are just too similar._ Zuko smiled softly to himself as he remembered his Uncle's laughing at his confused expression. _You are both strong Yangs; Yangs can never remain in a relationship that lasts long and true. They are simply both too forceful; each wants to go their own way, has their own path to tread. True Mai did characterise the negative side of the coldness and darkness of Yin; but that is not her true nature. You too trod the road of bad Yin for three years of your life, Zuko. You were consumed in darkness and you closed yourself off from the world; you became cold. That is why in the North Pole your breath of fire did not work; you were conflicted and you did not embrace the Yang that was within you. Born in you through your grandfathers was the power to end the conflict in our world; you were both Yin and Yang in one person. As a result, it has always been difficult for you to determine your true self. You discovered it as a child, under your mother's care – but your father's actions stunted that growth, and instead allowed the weed of bad Yin to flourish in your heart. You surrendered to the bad side of Yin; the blue dragon inside of you, but the red dragon of Yang finally conquered that. You were always Yang. Because of this you need a strong, good Yin woman if any relationship you have is to be balanced and strong._

Zuko recalled his confusion. Surely if two people matched then their relationship should work? Besides which, he had always thought that Yin and Yang were both good. Didn't what Iroh was saying mean that Yang was good and Yin was bad? He had said so to his Uncle. Iroh had laughed. _Yin and Yang works because they are opposites, and opposites always attract, Zuko. You saw in the Spirit Oasis in the North Pole the Moon and the Ocean spirits; Tui and La – push and pull. That has been the nature of their relationship since the beginning, and will continue to be so forever, because they are in harmony with each other. They _are_ Yin and Yang. They are opposites, and yet they work in perfect harmony, because they equalise one another. The same is true for Agni and Tui. When Zhao killed the Moon Spirit, not only the waterbenders would have been destroyed, but all of the Nations – even the firebenders. Without the Moon, the Sun cannot rise. As for your other question; even Yin and Yang separated are in balance. There is bad Yin and there is good Yin; the same is also true for Yang. Everyone has some of the good and the bad in them – very few can achieve enlightenment, or such a state of goodness, that there is no bad Yin or bad Yang in them. It is more common for people to surrender to the bad Yin or bad Yang in them – such as Azula and your father._ Zuko recalled his astonishment, even now the idea still made his head reel a little. Iroh had continued, his hands raised like a set of scales. _If there were two Yins or two Yangs, then the entire relationship would be pulled in one direction only, and so be ruined._ He had demonstrated with his hands._ With a Yin _and_ a Yang, they pull in opposite directions with equal strength – but most important of all is that they give as well as take, and so balance one another out. That is what a good relationship should be; the right amount of give and take, balanced flexibility and individuality._

Zuko shook his head. He was just as confused now by his Uncle's words as he had been then. He wasn't even sure if the advice was applicable to the situation. What would his Uncle say if he was here now? _Zuko, you and Katara have a long history together. You were enemies, but have become friends. For the past four years you have regularly written to each other; you have talked about all the things that are happening in your lives. She may feel the same as you do. This is a delicate matter, Zuko; you must talk to her._ Zuko blinked, and shook his head. This was nuts.

He paused.

But perhaps he _should_ talk to her. Tell her what he felt. Zuko's eyes burned in the darkness; two golden glimmers of hope. Then they fell. But what if she said that she didn't like him in that way? That she just wanted to be a friend? What if she got angry at him and refused to say anything to him ever again? What if she ended up hating him? What if his stupidity ruined their entire relationship and any chance that he might have had with her? Zuko screwed up his eyes at the thought, a great wall of pain looming up and threatening to engulf him.

He opened his eyes for a moment, a sliver of golden hope creeping back into them.

But what if she loved him back? Hadn't she been watching him earlier that day? Hadn't she blushed the way he did every time their eyes had met during the bending competition? Hadn't they shared that moment of stilled time when they versed each other, a hairsbreadth apart until Sokka had disturbed them? And hadn't he heard _something_, a definitely feminine gasp earlier? Hadn't he seen a pair of furtive blue eyes in the darkness? Zuko stumbled backwards, hands to his face, and collapsed onto his bed, mind whirling with the possibilities, arms flung out to either side.

Through his daze of misery a soft sound of swishing water came to him. Zuko opened his eyes tentatively, staring at the ceiling. His brows contracted slightly. He knew that no water moved naturally in a way that produced that sort of sound. Hesitantly, Zuko got to his feet and left his room, following the sound of bending water.

Wandering through the corridors of the palace, Zuko was eventually drawn outside to the same courtyard he himself had been firebending in before. As part of the refurbishments, he had restored the fountain in the middle of the courtyard, and small koi fish swam about under the lily pads in it (Suki and Aang had disparaged the miniature fish, favouring the Elephant Koi that swam in the bay of Kyoshi Island). Katara was bending the water out of the fountain flowing smoothly through various stances, manipulating the water in a practiced, automatic manner. She was frowning slightly, her eyes preoccupied, her thoughts clearly focussed inwards. He marvelled from where he stood in the shadows, admiring the sinuous effortlessness of her movements.

As he watched, Katara returned the water to the fountain and moved to stand in the centre of the square, facing the great façade of rock that formed one side of the courtyard. He frowned slightly, wondering what was running through her mind. In their letters he had initially been surprised to find that in some ways their thinking was identical, whilst in others they were as different as the elements that they bended. With a great breath and upwards sweep of her arms a great wall of water lifted itself from the not-too-distant sea, and swept up over the palace to swirl about Katara in a whirling loop. Zuko's eyes widened at the extraordinary display of her power. There was no doubt about the effect of the full moon on waterbenders. He watched, stunned, as Katara began to draw thick cords of water from the whirling belt about her. With curious rippling movements of her hands, she brought them up to the great cliff-face before her, running them along the rock and freezing the water as she did so. After several lines were frozen onto the rock, Zuko grasped what she was doing.

She was writing.

As the characters appeared on the wall of stone, Katara began to move faster and faster, until finally she was a blurred whirling figure in blue silk, water flying away from her in speeding streams.

When at last she stopped, Zuko's eyes widened as he read the frozen characters that were reflected in each of his eyes, mouth open slightly.

Katara stood before the wall of water plastered rock, her chest heaving with emotion and her exertions. Slowly, she looked up at the characters she had frozen against the stone.

_Do I love Zuko?_

It was the question she had finally managed to bring herself to face. It was something that she had both wanted to hide and confront. Putting the issue of Mai to one side, _did_ she? Did she really? Was that what her dream was meant to show her? That she actually did love him? There was no doubt that he cared for her more than as a friend, that much she could be sure of, but what of her own emotions? Katara probed her feelings gingerly. She smiled, recalling the tenderness of feeling whenever she thought about him, that since she had seen him she couldn't help but blush at any mention of him, that in his presence she was sensitised to his movements, and that she had noticed that she had begun to involuntarily smile whenever her thoughts crossed over him. Did that mean she loved him?

Katara let her mind linger on Zuko; all the bad things he had done in his life, the way he had redeemed himself, his voice, the way a few strands of hair always fell across his face, his eyes and the way she had found herself lost in them during their match, the sweet pursing concentration of his lips, his scar. There was a sudden trembling in her knees, and Katara felt herself pulled to the ground as she lost control of her legs in a shiver of sweetness. With a great thundering hiss, the ice unfroze, and fell in a controlled waterfall down into the courtyard to swirl about in a tight whirlpool, Katara kneeling in the calm eye of the vortex.

"Yes," she whispered to herself, smiling secretly, "I _do_ love him…"

From where he sheltered in the shadows of the corridor, Zuko fell to his knees. She loved him. She _loved_ him! He had actually heard her say it. Her words had been a whisper, but for the meaning they carried Zuko felt as if they had been as loud as the roars of Ran and Shao. Tears flowed from his eyes freely, moved by the enormous outpouring of emotion that thundered through him. She had said that she loved him, without malice or resignation; but with smiling love in her voice. Softly he stumbled backwards into the enveloping darkness of the corridor, trembling with exhilaration, and only just able to keep himself from crying out in jubilation to the stars that Katara loved him, and to prevent himself from burning the entire palace down in a fit of elated firebending.


	3. Chapter 3: A Flash of Sparks

_~Chapter Three~ A Flash of Sparks_

The next morning both Katara and Zuko rose late. Both had returned to their beds late, and had lain, restless and awake, having been too caught up in their separate emotions to sleep, until finally each was whisked away on a cloud of starry dreams about the other.

When they eventually did wake, both dressed slowly, mulling over the events of the previous night with secretive smiles. Zuko dressed faster than Katara, even though he spent sometime cartwheeling around his room to prevent himself from crying out his happiness (and also had to clean his face of soot after accidentally lighting the candles along his meditation table from his heightened emotions with enough force that a fireball of flames shot out of the window), and was met by the confused expressions of the others in one of the lounges.

"Why are you up so late, Zuko?" Aang inquired, politely concerned. Sokka nodded, flinging up a demonstrative arm as he took a large bite out of a bun in his other hand, his unbound hair flopping over his face.

"And where is Katara?" He asked loudly, spraying some crumbs down his front. "I've been waiting for breakfast _all morning_, and it's practically _lunchtime_!" Zuko couldn't help the small smile that twitched the corners of his lips at the sound of Katara's name, and struggled to prevent it from becoming a grin at the unintentional accuracy of Sokka's question. Suki gave Sokka a reproving glare as he continued to devour the bun, her arms folded.

"What? Wasn't the breakfast I made good enough?" She was giving him a look something akin to that of an armadillo lion that Zuko had once seen. Sokka hastily backtracked, waving his hands quickly.

"No, it was fine; I'm just saying you haven't quite mastered the dishes of the Water Tribes yet, Suki. I mean, stewed sea prunes – Katara _promised_!" Aang made a face at Zuko, his skin taking on a slightly greenish tinge at the memory. Zuko took the hint as he sat on the cushion next to the Avatar.

"I had a bit of difficulty sleeping last night." He replied, battling furiously with the muscles of his face to prevent a wide grin from spreading across his face, as Suki dropped her disbelieving head into her palm with a slap in response to Sokka. Aang nodded sagely – he knew all about difficulty in sleeping, he rubbed his arrow as he recalled the sleepless nights he had endured leading up to the invasion on the Day of Black Sun.

Sokka frowned as Zuko poured out a cup of jasmine tea from the pot resting on the coals in the centre of the circle.

"What?" He asked as he picked his teeth. "How could you not just fall asleep? I slept like a platypus bear, and I wasn't even in the competition!" Suki rolled her eyes.

"You _always_ sleep like a platypus bear." She muttered, then blushed a little, glancing up at the rest of the group. "Not that I would know, of course." She flashed a large and unconvincing smile around the group. Zuko, Toph and Aang laughed as Sokka made incoherent sounds of protest.

"You were more involved than _we_ were, yesterday." All of them turned to spot Katara leaning against the doorway – except Toph, who, of course, already knew that she was there.

The coals under the teapot glowed crimson suddenly as if fanned. Zuko felt his breath catch in his throat for a moment. Katara's eyes flashed momentarily to him despite herself.

"What was with your commentary?" Katara continued, one eyebrow raised as she came forwards, eyes fixed determinedly on her brother. Zuko watched her avidly, unaware that he was staring, the cup of tea he had been about to finish suspended halfway to his slightly open mouth.

Katara caught his fixed gaze momentarily and blushed slightly. In an attempt at casualness, she sat on the cushion next to Zuko. Even though it was the only spare cushion left, both felt the enormity of the gesture. Neither of them looked at each other, each doggedly staring in opposite directions and feigning breeziness.

Katara wondered absently whether Zuko had come to the conclusion that she had been watching the previous day, confused at the sudden openness with which he had stared at her, whilst Zuko struggled to keep all his faculties under strict control, unable to keep the elated thought, _Katara loves me!_ from running through his head.

Sokka meanwhile, leapt to his feet, outraged. "What do you mean?" He cried, interrupting Katara's thoughts. "I give _great_ advice, thank you very much!" He folded his arms and stroked the stubbly beard he was still cultivating with impressive motions.

Katara and Suki exchanged raised eyebrows.

Katara, through her façade of casualness, was hypersensitive of Zuko sitting close enough to touch next to her. She could feel a faint heat radiating from his body, bringing with it a gentle fragrance of burning incense and crisp sundried fabric. She longed to close the tiny gap between them – it was so small, and yet created a barrier between them larger than the canyons of the Great Divide. Zuko, too, was attuned to Katara's every movement, and could smell the soft breezy scent of her hair as she moved stirring the air. Shyly, he poured her a cup of tea, and handed it to her.

"Katara?" Zuko spoke softly, but Katara heard it instantly. The coals under the teapot, which had died down, flared up once more, glowing like burning cherries as her name left Zuko's lips. Katara broke out of the silent communication she had held with Suki, and turned to him.

Zuko did not flinch as Katara whipped around, unable to keep the eagerness from her action – their faces barely an inch apart –, but the colour of the coals grew brighter, tiny flames flickering at the edges. They gazed at each other fixedly for an infinitesimal moment, sealed in their own microcosm in which only they existed. Zuko let the smallest of smiles lift the corner of his mouth, and a softness stole over his eyes, a dusky blush warming his cheeks. Katara responded similarly, a slight blush rising in her cheeks as she swept her eyes downwards, to receive the cup he held. Their fingers brushed against each other in the exchange, and it felt as if a tingling spark of life had jumped between them. The tea in the cup between them bubbled and steamed furiously.

Under the teapot, the coals flared into bright red flames, a miniature column of fire rising up to the ceiling and engulfing the teapot with a hiss. A tidal-wave of sparks rippled through Zuko's body from where Katara had touched his hand, and he felt as though he had never really been alive before that moment.

In that instant, both knew the unequivocal love that burned in the other. It was impossible to mistake. Their hearts were beating fast and loudly, their blood rushing eagerly about their bodies, the thrilling spark from their connection thrumming their entire beings. It was enough to send them giddy with elation.

The others had leapt back at the sudden flare of fire – Sokka balancing precariously on one leg –, eyes wide and alarmed, and all of them were staring at Zuko, confused.

"Whoa! What was that?" Suki asked from where she lay on the floor, folded backwards and resting on her arms.

Aang his eyes wide, held up his hands defensively. "It wasn't me! I swear it." Suki frowned slightly, turning from the clearly blameless Avatar, and giving Zuko a concerned look. Opposite her, Aang quickly returned to his seat, sheepishly passing Zuko and Katara as he moved away from Toph, in front of whom he had thrown himself, blushing. Sokka remained frozen in his position, before he finally overbalanced and fell to the floor in an ignominious heap. A little embarrassed he leapt back to his feet.

Zuko and Katara continued gazing at each other, still reeling, their hearts thundering in their ears as though they were in a battle, energy and life coursing through their bodies, fighting to control their exterior emotions.

"Uhh, Zuko, Katara?" Aang asked, eyebrows raised in confusion. The sound of their names roused the pair, bringing them back out of the world they had inhabited together in the previous moments. Slowly they turned away from one another, their eyes locked and lingering until the last possible moment.

"Yes, Aang?" Katara asked, her head tilted slightly in the Avatar's direction. Zuko gazed at the curve of her neck, marvelling at the smoothness of her skin and beating down the insane urge to lift his hand to stroke it. Aang frowned slightly, grey eyes concerned.

"You guys are acting seriously weird." Both Katara and Zuko's brows knitted, and Zuko glanced up sharply, abruptly drawn out of his considerations of Katara's neck and shoulder. Neither could prevent a guilty self-conscious blush from creeping into their cheeks.

"We are _not_!" They exclaimed in unison. Their friends glanced as one towards the scorch mark that had been burnt into the ceiling, then Sokka and Suki nodded with Aang.

"_Yes_, you are." Suki said. Toph, who had remained silent up until now, but smirking slightly, leant forwards, addressing the group.

"Oh, come on – can't you guys see it?" She asked, appealing to Aang, Sokka and Suki. Katara and Zuko exchanged frantic glances from the corners of their eyes. The others shook their heads.

"Come, on! _Airbending slice_?" Katara asked, interceding in the conversation, her voice pitched slightly higher than normal in her anxiety, turning back around, and gazing up sceptically at her brother as she sipped the tea with attempted unconcern. "_Please_!" She loaded the word heavily with sarcasm. One of Sokka's eyes twitched, his attention instantly diverted from Toph – who narrowed her eyes shrewdly –, before he abruptly sat down, folded his arms, and turned his back on his sister, facing Suki and Aang. Internally Katara and Zuko released deep sighs of relief. Katara giggled into her cup, her breath sending out great wafts of jasmine scented steam from the surface, her laugh expelling the last of her nerves from the crisis she and Zuko had just so narrowly avoided, as well as her amusement at her brother's ridiculousness. Zuko closed his eyes, tipping his head back, and revelled in the sound of Katara's unaffected laughter. Toph, now sitting by Sokka's back, gave him a playful punch that sent him head first into the floor as she laughed, her calculating expression cleared by a slight and cunning quirk at the corner of her lips.

"C'mon, Sokka; Katara's just jealous." She winked at the others, silencing Katara who had already opened her mouth for an indignant expostulation. There was a pause, then Sokka spun back around, rubbing his forehead surreptitiously, and addressed Katara in a tone of upmost condescension.

"You are forgiven." Katara, mollified by the fact that Toph had been joking, laughed lightly, leaning into Zuko by accident as she twisted backwards. She turned involuntarily to glance up at him. Zuko felt the spark again, his eyes snapping open to glance down at Katara. The coals flared slightly. Their eyes met again for a fraction of a moment, and both blushed scarlet. Katara tore her sparkling blue eyes away from Zuko's burning gold ones, and leant forwards with an elaborate mock bow towards her brother, placing her empty tea cup back on the floor.

"Thank you, your Highness. I am truly humbled." Sokka nodded majestically, his features drawn low down his face in what he presumably considered an expression of intense regality.

There was a pause, before the whole group burst out laughing. Toph gave Katara a good-natured shove as she laughed, grinning secretly to herself at the culmination of her plan.

"Nice, Sugarqueen. You're learning to loosen up." The force of Toph's punch caught Katara off guard, and sent her cannoning into Zuko, knocking them both over. "Whoops!" Toph exclaimed, as the two lay on top of each other for a moment, too stunned to be embarrassed or untangle themselves. The others continued laughing, Sokka clapping Toph on the back as he wiped tears from his eyes.

Zuko and Katara, immersed in their own world once more, slowly glanced up at each other. Katara was draped, rather comfortably, over Zuko's chest, one of her arms wrapped over his shoulder and down his back, their faces close enough to smell the light scent of the jasmine tea on each other's breath. Zuko had fallen back on his left elbow, his body twisting slightly, legs pinned under Katara's, and his other arm somehow having been thrown about her waist.

They paused.

It was a tiny speck of time, and yet both felt it stretch on as if it had lasted a million years. In each of them there was some part of them that had been growing over the past week, and now was screaming madly, just to lean in and kiss. Their hearts were racing, sending their blood racing around their bodies, hot with emotion. They were so close they could feel the frantic beating heart of the other.

Zuko gazed at Katara, lost in the unbelievable blue of her eyes, and the emotion that sparkled in them. He could feel the gentle heat beneath her cheeks, the delicate flush that was driving him out of his mind because of the wordless message it communicated to him.

He wanted to. He wanted nothing more than to just lean forwards and kiss her.

Katara's eyes were fixed on Zuko's. Both were brimming over with a message that made her heart beat harder and faster than it had ever done so before; the shapely angular right eye, and the scarred and narrowed left. She felt as though fire had entered her body, replacing her blood with sparking golden flurries like fireflies.

The gap between them was so small. The strength of their emotions on each side strong enough drive them to senseless distraction. They were pressed close enough to feel the hammering heart beat of the other. Everything in their hearts was screaming just to lean forwards and kiss.

Gently, slowly, Zuko and Katara untangled themselves, letting their bodies stay in contact for as long as possible, their movements slow and lingering. Surreptitiously they broke out of their immaculate world, coming back to the time and space that they shared with the others, who were all still laughing. Only Toph noticed the difference as they rejoined their friends, her head tilted on one side as she listened intently, feeling the galloping vibrations of their heart beats carried to her through the floor.

Toph turned her thoughts inwards, away from the laughing chatting group. She knew that Zuko and Katara were in love. She had known that Zuko was in love with Katara from the moment they had arrived on Ember Island. It had been obvious. She had heard the increase in his heart rate as he saw Katara, she had felt the small happy dimpling that had appeared at the corner of his mouth as he had gazed upon her. Toph had known that Katara reciprocated Zuko's love before even Katara herself had been aware of it; she had heard the increase in her breathing as Katara had looked up at the Fire Lord, and whenever they had met in the following week, had heard the increase in their heart rates, and the rushing of blood to their cheeks.

Since her initial convictions had been confirmed after her conversation with Zuko, at Katara's instigation, during which she had broached the subject of Mai, and had not felt any romantic response in Zuko's breathing or heart beat, Toph had been wondering how to manoeuvre the two together. She acted tough all the time, and she was tough, but she had the heart of a woman. Katara's mothering of her during their time together in the gang, while at times had been irritating in the extreme, had touched her heart. She had admitted with some difficulty to Sokka that she had never received such care or attention from her own mother, and she knew Katara and Zuko much better than either thought. Katara was too proper and stubborn to make the first move – she was, afterall Miss Sugarqueen –, and Zuko was too retiring and unsure to either.

It was up to her to push them, and, being an Earthbender, Toph smiled, she shouldn't find it too hard.

The previous night, Zuko's wandering about the house had disturbed her, waking her from her sleep. Toph had remained motionless on her bed, listening and feeling the vibrations carried to her easily through the wooden house as Zuko moved to the courtyard. She had heard and felt Katara's dream and her confused tossing about in bed, before Katara had gone and watched Zuko again – just as she had done that morning. Zuko's return to bed, and his disturbed lack of sleep, his watching Katara waterbending – Toph was aware of it all.

She had not been sure how or when to give Zuko and Katara a chance to explicitly outline their feelings for each other. She had hoped that by almost telling the others of their evident affection for one another, that they would at least come clean, but Katara had dodged around it. It was almost as frustrating as teaching Aang to think like an earthbender had been.

Roused from her deliberations about Zuko and Katara, Toph raised her head slightly, so that her sightless eyes gazed blankly at the Avatar, who sat across from her in the circle. She could feel his eyes on her, and smiled slightly, feeling a slight thrill as the vibrations of his reciprocal smile were carried back to her through the wooden floor. She had been happy that Katara and Aang had been able to separate with such ease and amicability. As much as she cared for Aang, and wished that he had never been in love with Katara, she did not want their friendship destroyed. After their separation, she and Aang had been becoming gradually closer. It was not much yet, but it was enough for her to be pleased with so far, and perhaps the holiday would bring them even closer. Her thoughts about the Avatar were swept to one side as she heard Katara laugh at her side, and felt Zuko's response.

She frowned slightly with aggravation. This was just like before! Finally, it had been too much, and she knew, even as she had pushed Katara on top of Zuko, that neither of them would openly declare their love, but had hoped, perhaps, that the sudden intimacy would at least get them to kiss. But it hadn't. Their reticence irritated her; there was no way either of them could _ever_ be earthbenders, they just couldn't face the problem head on.

Toph huffed quietly to herself, helping herself to a bun.

Zuko thought about his almost-kiss with Katara. He was half regretting not kissing her, but whenever he thought this he reminded himself that, as perfect as the moment between them was, outside of their bubble, there were the others, and he did not want to share his first kiss with Katara with them, close as they all were. He had seen in Katara's eyes that she did not want their first kiss to be broken up by the shock and exclamations of their friends, either.

Privately, Katara had also not felt particularly inclined to share the moment with her brother, for she knew that Sokka would certainly be vocal – either that, or passed out. Even so, her heart and her mind were still waging a furious war at the lost moment.

* * *

Sokka was complaining again about the fact that Katara had not honoured her promise to cook breakfast.

"I mean, it's not as though you could be _that_ tired from the competition yesterday," he continued, waving another half-eaten bun around, his free arm about Suki. Katara shrugged.

"I had some trouble sleeping." She said, lightly, unable to keep a slight rose tint from rising to her cheeks. At her side, Zuko grinned privately to himself, well aware of why Katara had not slept earlier the previous night.

"Really?" Asked Aang, drawn out of his thoughts about Toph and the secret smile they had shared, his gray eyes concerned. "Zuko couldn't sleep either." Katara's flush deepened. "Maybe it was something you guys ate." He looked at the two of them, brows knitted. Zuko and Katara glanced at each other briefly, then shrugged with feigned indifference.

"Or _didn't_ eat!" Sokka joked, face wide in a frozen expression as he waited for the others to laugh. The joke fell flat. Katara waved her hands, fending off her brother.

"OK, OK; I get the point, Sokka!" She turned away from the aggravated expression on her brother's face, to Aang with a faint smile. "Maybe, Aang." Katara glanced surreptitiously at Zuko at the same moment that he looked at her. They smiled, unaware that it was for the same reason. Sokka tapped his foot.

"Well, what about me?" He interrupted. Katara sighed heavily, turning back to her brother.

"How about a make up beach party?" She suggested. Sokka's eyes widened with eagerness. "We'll all go shopping," Sokka began to nodded with such enthusiasm that his face was a blur, "then I'll cook and we'll all go down to the beach and enjoy ourselves. Sound all right?"

The whole group agreed; they weren't about to look a gift ostrich horse in the mouth.


	4. Chapter 4: The Beach

_~Chapter Four~ The Beach_

s she stirred a large pot of stewed sea prunes with her bending, Katara admitted to herself that she had not suggested the beach party solely for the benefit of getting Sokka off her back. She knew for certain that she loved Zuko – just thinking about him sent pleasant shivers up and down her spine, and there was little doubt in her mind that Zuko was attracted to her…that he might even love her. She flushed, smiling at the thought, recalling the thrilling tingle that had jumped between them as their hands touched when he had handed her the tea.

_A flash of sparks_.

Her breath caught. It was exactly what she had thought about the previous night.

It had to be a sign of something. Of deep affection. Of _love_. It was just as in her dream; they were lodestones for each other. And what about the fire? She knew that for most firebenders their bending was closely linked to their emotions, but she was also aware that Zuko had learnt to distance his firebending from his emotions. Katara frowned at the pot, not seeing it. _Perhaps, even the best of firebenders can lose control of particularly strong emotions, and let it seep into their firebending..._ She blushed, smiling to herself.

Katara's guilt still twinged slightly when she recalled the problem of Mai; after all, for all she knew Mai and Zuko could still be together. That Zuko might be using her. Angry tears began to form in her eyes and she turned away from the pot.

_No!_ Katara firmly brushed the tears away. She was being stupid. _Zuko would _never_ do anything like that; not the new Zuko._ She was sure of it. The correspondence over the past four years had given her a great deal of insight into the Fire Lord, and she knew that he would not do such a thing.

Katara nodded to herself. She knew that down at the beach everyone would be distracted, and that it should give her and Zuko some time alone to at least talk and get their feelings for each other out in the open, and to clear up the topic of Mai. Also, it wouldn't be a bad chance to see Zuko in whatever he wore when swimming, she blushed at the thought. Last time they had held a beach party at Ember Island she had no such opportunity, as Zuko had ruined it, wearing full clothes, by attacking Aang, and later bringing them the bad news about the return of Sozin's Comet and what his father intended to use it for. Katara smiled gently to herself. Not that she hadn't seen Zuko without a shirt on before, but… She shook her head, trying to get it out of the clouds.

"Do you need any help?" A familiar, somewhat husky voice interrupted Katara's thoughts. Startled, her hand made a wild movement, the soup sloshing up the side of the pot, and almost out onto the floor, before she managed to save it, her heart beating wildly, cheeks flaming.

Zuko stood in the doorway of the kitchen, hands outstretched in an attempt to prevent the soup from spilling, expression mortified. Together they straightened, eyes locked. Zuko stuck a hand behind his head and rubbed it uncomfortably. Blushing, he grinned somewhat awkwardly.

"Uh, sorry. I…I didn't mean to startle you." Katara smiled through her curtain of wavy hair as she turned back to the pot. She liked this shy, unsure Zuko; it was endearing and somewhat charming to see the awkwardness behind his usual shadowed charisma. In their letters they had always been frank with each other, their conversation easy and unaffected. _This_ was something completely different. Both of them were stumbling about awkwardly, unsure of what to do or say, as if it was the first time they had ever been in love. Katara grinned to herself. Technically speaking it was the first time, for her at least, to feel love and not merely affection or admiration.

"That's OK; it was my fault really." Zuko felt relief at the warm tone of her voice, and stopped internally berating himself.

"Soo…" He said. They paused awkwardly. Katara turned again, a mischievous grin lighting up her face. It was an expression he had never seen on her before. He knew that there was a sweet roguishness in her personality, but he had only read it in her letters, never seen it. Her blue eyes were fixed on his, and he was unable and unwilling to relinquish their gaze. He could feel his heart beating faster, the way it always did around her.

"So, what do you want?" It was a friendly question. Katara flicked her hair over her shoulder coyly, still smiling at Zuko with the same impish sparkle in her eyes. Zuko felt vague irritation at the creeping suspicion that she was enjoying his awkward embarrassment, but there was something very attractive about this new playfulness. He blushed a little, and looked at his feet, trying to gather his scrambled thoughts together in a cohesive unit so that he could speak. _Those _eyes_!_

"Well, I – uh –" it wasn't going well, "I…I was wondering, if you needed...any help, you know…uh…taking out the food, or…something." The words came out in a stilted jumble, loud and awkward, with all the wrong intonations. He was reminded forcibly of his rehearsal introductions with the frog above the Western Air temple before he joined the group. If she hadn't been facing him, he would have hit himself. Why did talking to her face to face have to be so much harder than when they were writing to each other? And _why_ did she have to seem so much more at ease that he did? And most of all, _why_ did she have to be acting so provocatively?

Katara's grin widened to a beaming smile, eyes sparkling, and a faint blush rising in her cheeks.

"Um, yeah." Quickly she turned and bended the soup into a large tureen, and placed a lid over it. "Here." She handed him the dish, which Zuko received, standing stiffly upright as she drew close. They paused for a moment, both holding the dish, eyes locked. Then Katara turned, moving over to a giant steamer. Zuko remained where she had left him, motionless, staring after her. Then something seemed to click in his head, and he came back to himself.

Feeling a little silly, Zuko turned and marched woodenly out of the kitchen wondering whether he had actually achieved anything in the encounter. His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden swishing and a breezy fragrance.

"See you at the beach." Katara whispered over his shoulder, a girlish giggle creeping into her voice as she ended. Then she whipped back around and rushed back into the kitchen.

Zuko froze, arrested. If he had been able to feel any part of his body, he would have dropped the tureen by now, but instead he was paralyzed, his knuckles white as he gripped the handles. He knew since last night that Katara definitely loved him (the thought still sent shivers down his spine), and he had known for a long time that he loved her. But _this_… His mind reeled. He had never thought that Katara would be so…forward. He blushed at his own shyness. He had never really had much…or any…experience with girls as friends or otherwise; only his sister, Mai and Ty Lee – none of which were exactly stereotypical. Besides, Azula was hardly the sort of sibling that was going to give great tips on people skills – hers consisted entirely of inspiring terror. Mai was too pessimistic and shut off from the world to really attract many guys – he had observed it over their shared childhood. Ty Lee was the only one that had actually had boyfriends, he realised. She had always been surrounded by a gaggle of slavish admirers. Katara wasn't really like any of them. She was beautiful and hot headed, unafraid to show her emotions and unwilling to back down. She was tough and caring, but from her letters, he knew that she needed someone to confide in and talk to just as much as he did. And she understood him, almost instinctively. Zuko smiled to himself. In some ways they were more alike than he had ever thought.

Katara peeked around the edge of the doorframe, watching Zuko's constricted form, her blue eyes wide. She was still trembling at her own daring, hardly able to believe that it had been her that had so openly flirted with Zuko. What was _wrong_ with her?! _I'm never like this!_ Katara thought. She had never really flirted with any guy before. Sure, she had fancied Jet and…when she admitted it…even Haru; but the most she had ever done in the way of flirting was compliments. Even with Aang – he had been the one that had instigated almost all of their…romantic encounters, and they had never really flirted with each other at all. Katara withdrew her head from the doorway, and rested against the wall, her back pressed straight up against it, staring at the ceiling. There was something about Zuko that made her more daring. Her body was still pounding with the rush that her little escapade had produced, and her fingers tingled. Was this what it was meant to be like when you were in love? To do impulsive and embarrassing things that she would _never_ normally have even thought about doing? Katara breathed deeply, trying to expel some of the elated silliness that was rushing around her body. She wasn't even sure _why_ she was doing it. She knew that she had to figure out some way to tell Zuko about her feelings, but, unlike Sokka, she had inherited tact and the ability to exercise it, and, deep down, she was still a little shy about making any sort of declaration of her love. Afterall, what it Zuko was still with Mai? Katara hit her head a little in frustration, screwing up her eyes. _How am I going to do this?!_ She screamed in her head. _Calm down, Katara._ Said another voice, calm and soothing – a voice from her childhood. _When the time is right, you will know._ Katara felt a small jump of elated joy in her heart. _Mum?_ She thought, questioningly. Kaya's soft smiling face swam into her head. _You will know, sweetheart._ Katara blinked and opened her eyes.

"I can do this." She muttered to herself. With a great deal of difficulty she put Zuko to one side, and returned to preparing lunch.

In the corridor, Zuko shook his head, sighing. He was certainly on his own, and so far; girls were proving unfathomable.

There was no one he could go to.

* * *

"Soo, Sokka. I was wondering what kind of advice you might have on…girls." The words spilled out of Zuko's mouth in an embarrassed rush as he stood awkwardly in the doorway of Sokka's room. Sokka, who had been lazily reclining on the ground examining his reflection in a mirror, sat up, instantly assuming the role of the all-knowing guru. Zuko's good eye narrowed to match that of his scarred one; he was already starting to regret his decision to ask Sokka for advice. If only he could bend time; he could have prevented himself from doing this. But there was no turning back now. He was going to have to sit through it.

"Well, you've come to the right guy, Zuko! There is nothing I don't know about girls – trust me." Sokka winked hugely. "So what seems to be your problem?"

Zuko scratched the back of his head, trying to think of a way to phrase his problem without giving away to Sokka that he fancied his sister. "Well…there's a girl that I…like…and I, uh…I was wondering how I could…ask her out?" The sentence ended sounding like a question as Zuko muddled his way through the minefield of tact. Sokka smiled broadly.

"Ahh. So, I take it you have a new interest other than that gloomy girl with the knives?" Zuko frowned slightly.

"Her name is Mai, if you remember, and…yeah, I do." Sokka patted the cushion next to him.

"Take a seat." Zuko sat, and when he turned to face Sokka a dragon headed bubble pipe had appeared from nowhere, upon which Sokka began to puff impressively. Zuko frowned slightly, his one eyebrow raised in confusion. Sokka turned back to him, waving the pipe around carelessly, his other arm clamped around Zuko's shoulders. "Now, in my opinion, you can't beat asking a girl out for an activity together." Zuko's eyes narrowed, his eyebrow contorted.

"An _activity_ together?" His voice was heavy with badly suppressed misgivings, but Sokka nodded impressively as though he was imparting the single most valuable piece of knowledge in the world.

"_Exactly_ – and seeing as you're the Fire Lord, it can't hurt to make a casual mention of it, if she isn't already aware of it." Zuko grinned slightly to himself, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh…she knows about that all right." Sokka beamed, clapping Zuko heartily on the back.

"Then you're all set, buddy!" Zuko frowned slightly. He was sure there was more to it than that. There had to be _some_ finesse, surely. Mind you…this was Sokka…

"Is that it? I mean, are you sure it'll work?" Sokka flourished his hand and placed it with the fingers splayed on his own chest, lowering his chin, and gazing up at Zuko from under his eyebrows with the expression of a master.

"Zuko, trust me. That was how I got my first girlfriend. It works like a _charm_." Despite himself, Zuko's eyebrows raised disbelievingly.

"Really? The girl that became the Moon Spirit?" Sokka's face fell slightly, and he nodded.

"Yeah; Yue – she was the Princess of the Northern Water Tribe; daughter of Chief Arnos." Awkwardly Zuko reached over and clapped Sokka on the back.

"That's rough." Sokka nodded.

"Yeah…thanks." Then he suddenly brightened. "So, there you have it! The foolproof method to asking a girl out!" Zuko nodded as he got to his feet. The only thing he was sure about that if it had worked for Sokka, if _definitely_ had to be foolproof.

"Thanks, Sokka." Zuko paused as a thought occurred to him.

"If Yue was Princess because her father was Chief of the Northern Water Tribe – doesn't that mean that you and Katara are…well…Prince and Princess too? I mean…your father's the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, right?" Sokka squinted at the ceiling.

"Well…technically speaking, yeah – but as you know, our village isn't exactly on the same scale as the Northern Water Tribe; even when Katara and I were kids, it was no where near as big, and after the Fire Nation raids…" There was an awkward pause and they both rubbed the back of their heads simultaneously, glancing away from each other. Sokka coughed slightly. "I mean, it's starting to expand and grow again…but I reckon it'll take a while before it gets anywhere near the Northern Water Tribe." Zuko nodded his head, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, thanks, Sokka."

"No problems, Zuko!" Sokka waved a dismissive hand. Zuko turned a second time and was almost at the door when he froze.

"You don't think…that if I ask her out like you did, this girl will become the Moon Spirit too?" Sokka snorted, and waved his hands.

"Of course not! That was a one off; the Moon Spirit gave Yue life when she was a baby, and she gave it back when Zhao killed it." Zuko nodded, reassured.

"Thanks, again." He said as he turned back to the door.

"No worries." Called Sokka, cheerfully. "Besides, it's not as if the girl you're interested in is even from the Water Tribes; there's no way it could happen." Zuko froze for a moment, then shook his head, not daring to turn around.

"Yeah…no way…" He muttered, pulling a strangled face to himself. Sokka grinned, and waved at Zuko's retreating figure cheerily.

As Zuko exited, Sokka dusted his nails carelessly on his shirt and examined them.

"Still got it…" He said to himself, grinning.

* * *

Zuko had to admit, he had had some doubts about the beach party, but it actually wasn't that bad. Perhaps it was because Katara had organised it, or that it was held on his own private stretch of the beach where people couldn't interfere, or maybe even because it was with people he actually cared about, but Zuko had never had such a good time at a the beach since he had been young. He had arrived late, having spent a great deal of unnecessary time choosing which pair of pants he should wear, and as he surveyed the group he smiled, pleased that they were enjoying themselves too.

Toph was bending exact sculptures of everyone out of the sand with such reality that Momo had taken fright at his replica and attacked it, after which Toph simply resurrected the crumbled pile, sending the alarmed lemur flying to Appa, who, after an initial roar, sat calmly regarding his own sandy likeness as he floated in the shallows.

Aang, still as childish at heart as ever at sixteen as he had been at twelve, was riding an air scooter around on the surface of the ocean, experimenting with a water scooter, and sending vast sheets of water spraying up in various directions.

Suki sat, somewhat bemusedly in the centre of a sandy excavation site, about which Sokka ran and drilled, intermittently eating food, creating what he eventually pronounced was Kyoshi Island, but just looked like strategically mounded sand, with a few dozen crumbling squares that supposedly resembled the village houses.

Katara was surfing on an iceboard, and Zuko watched her as she moved easily along the waves, which he strongly suspected she had created herself.

Unsure of what he should do, but content to watch Katara, Zuko helped himself to some dumplings, and sat on the sand by Toph, who was absently bending the space metal bracelet that Sokka had given her.

Katara had noticed Zuko's arrival, and had very nearly melted her iceboard, blushing furiously. She wasn't sure if she would ever get used to the sight of him shirtless…but she was willing to try, no matter how much practice it took.

Sokka was now floating aimlessly in the sea on a piece of driftwood, trying to fend off Aang, who was squirting water at him from where he sat on Appa's belly as Appa himself floated upside down in the water. Suki laughed, getting up and running in to join the fun.

"Toph! Come in – it's great!" Aang called, laughing as he bended an enormous wave of water over a now thoroughly drenched and utterly unamused Sokka. Toph smiled to herself (unnoticed by Zuko, whose eyes were fixed on Katara), and, somewhat unwillingly, got to her feet. She stood at the water's edge, unable to see what was happening in the water, but listening intently to the shouts and squeals as Suki tipped Sokka off the driftwood.

"I'm not so sure, Twinkletoes. I can't see in the water, remember?" She waved a hand in front of her eyes. Aang's hopeful face fell slightly.

"Oh…right." He cast about, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, you could always stay on Appa? Right, buddy?" He leant down and rubbed the Sky Bison's tummy affectionately. Appa gave a gentle assenting roar. Toph turned a little green.

"Uhh…I don't –" But before she could protest further, Aang had leapt up turning several somersaults through the air, propelled by a deep breath, and had scooped her up, then shot off, depositing her on Appa's stomach, before taking to the water on his air scooter.

"See! It's not that bad." He called as he whizzed around Appa. Toph, who was lying flat out on Appa's stomach and holding on tightly shook her head firmly.

"You've come up with a way of travelling that's even worse than flying, Aang…no offence Appa." She patted the great beast's belly affectionately. Appa roared softly, and drifted closer to the shore. Somewhat unsteadily, Toph crawled along his stomach and down his tail, smiling as she made contact with the sand. "Thanks." She muttered to the bison, standing. "I'll just stay in the shallows." She called back to Aang, who shrugged his shoulders, dodging a spray of water sent his way by Sokka who was furiously rushing through the water.

"Hey guys, watch this!" Katara called, glancing at Zuko from beneath her lashes. A great rolling wave came rushing in, and she sped along under the curve of it, scooping her hands through the water to gain speed. Then, just when it seemed the wave would come crashing down on her, she shot up the side, upside down for a few moments, before she took to the air, spinning four complete turns before landing on the crest of the wave and gliding casually into shore. The others all cheered and whooped. Katara bowed graciously to them as she ran up to Zuko.

Zuko gazed up at her, reclining in as careless a manner as possible. Her cheeks were flushed, but perhaps it was merely the sun. Katara extended a hand to him.

"Come on, Zuko. Don't be a wet blanket…or in your case, a dry blanket." She grinned, laughing a little. Zuko couldn't help but respond to the smile, his own mouth curving into one. He took her cool hand, pulling off the shirt-like robe he had been wearing, feeling the same inexplicable thrill as their hands met, and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet and into the water. Firebender that he was, he didn't relish being immersed in his natural opposing element, but still holding Katara's hand beneath the water (for neither of them had relinquished their grip), he found the sensation growing on him, and he had never had any enormous objection to water anyway.

"Zuko! What took you so long to come in?" Called Aang, speeding past on his air scooter, and laughing happily. A great spray of water from Sokka, directed at Aang, who dodged it, drenched Zuko. Zuko froze, then steamed the water off himself, the water around him bubbling.

"Aww man! Sorry, Zuko!" Sokka yelled, as he continued to frantically hit great sprays of water at Aang, beating the water with his fists and running uncoordinatedly through the resisting sloshing element.

Zuko frowned slightly, then relaxed as Katara laughed by his side.

"Let's have a water fight!" Called out Aang. The others all agreed with laughing whoops, and they congregated in the shallows, for Toph's benefit. "We'll all divide into pairs." Instantly everyone in the circle shuffled towards their own preferred partner. No one noticed the speed with which Zuko and Katara moved towards each other; even Toph, distracted by Aang's sudden proximity, did not register their sudden closeness. Zuko and Katara, revelling in their now justified physical contact, missed Aang's shout by a few seconds as he said; "GO!"

Instantly, everyone leapt into the water, Toph going so far as to wade in up to her waist, her feet buried in the sand.

Katara tugged on Zuko's hand.

"Come on!" She laughed, pulling him into the water for a second time.

Soon the entire group was joyfully splashing water at each other – even Toph. Katara taught Zuko how to use the flat of his palm or his fist to strike the water and send sprays up at the others. It had taken him a little while to concentrate, as she had stood behind him, her chin resting on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around him pressed against his back, hands holding his as she demonstrated, and where their skin touched heat had flared between them, but soon enough he too was rushing about in the water, wetting anyone that came too near.

Katara and Aang, of course, had an unfair advantage, being waterbenders – but there was an unspoken agreement for neither of them to use their bending, in the interests of fun, as well as fairness for Sokka and Suki. If it had merely been a matter of bending prowess, Zuko and Katara would have won with little effort required from either of them, as, despite the fact that he was the Avatar, Aang would have been defeated by Katara. There were several times, however, when a wave was slightly larger than it ought to have been, or when a spray managed to go further than was possible, but the disputes were solved as they had begun – with everyone getting soaked.

* * *

Gradually the game disintegrated of its own accord, and they drifted back to the beach in ones and twos. The carefree high spirits and exuberance that had filled them all before had faded down to a comfortable tranquillity. Appa was snoring contentedly on his side in the shade created by the slight cliff that abutted the left side of the sand and faded into forest. Momo was occupied under the stone table that Toph had bended out of the cliff for the food, occasionally reaching up to steal a bun from a steamer or fruit from a bowl.

Hungry now, they all made towards the food. Sokka, with a blissful cry, rushed towards the table, eyes swimming, and piled a small mountain of food on his plate, before ravenously devouring it with a fine disregard for dining etiquette. The others acted with more decorum, calmly selecting their food, and using the utensils provided, rather than their hands.

Aang surreptitiously steered well clear of the tureen of stewed sea prunes, as well as all the meat items, sitting down, blushing slightly, beside a flushed Toph.

Wordlessly, Zuko gathered two plates of food, clad in his robe once more, wielding his chopsticks expertly, and took them over to Katara, who was bending the water out of her hair and bindings.

"Uh…here, I got you some food." He proffered the plate a little self-consciously. "I hope you like the stuff I picked." Katara turned as she pulled on a blue and white robe similar to Zuko's. Taking the plate, she glanced at it, surprised. Zuko had, by some stroke of luck, chosen all her favourite things. She nodded, smiling up at him.

"Thanks. You picked my favourites." Blushing and a little embarrassed, they sat down next to each other; everyone else was sitting in couples, immersed in their separate worlds of two, and even if they hadn't been, they were all aware of the friendliness and communication that existed between Zuko and Katara since the end of the war.

There was silence between them as they ate, neither looking at the other. Both were bursting with things to say, questions to ask, things to do, but neither were sure how to start.

When they finished eating they continued to sit, quiet; the uncomfortable tension between them growing. Then suddenly both opened their mouths at the same time, then shut them, glancing at each other embarrassed. Katara did not seem to be forthcoming with whatever she had been about to say, so Zuko took a deep breath and spoke first.

"Do you…do you want to go do an activity together?" Katara turned and stared at him. Zuko looked away, embarrassed. Even to himself the words sounded dodgy. It didn't even sound like he was asking her out. Internally he began berating himself. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

A strange bubbling sound interrupted Zuko's agonised thoughts. Katara's light laugh cut through the silence between them. Zuko turned to her, eyes wide with surprise. She smiled up at him, blushing.

"Sure…how about a walk?" Zuko, dumbstruck, merely nodded mutely. Together they rose, and began to move away down the beach, unnoticed by the others.


	5. Chapter 5: Stumbling Upon Harmony

_~Chapter Five~ Stumbling Upon Harmony_

The beach was quiet. The soft murmur of the sea as it came in and out accompanied the sound of their feet in the sand. Their hands were close enough for them to be clasped, but neither Zuko nor Katara could summon the nerve to do it. Both of them were wondering, _was this their first date?_

"I had a nice time today." Zuko murmured softly, gazing down at the ground in front of him. Katara turned and gazed at him, smiling.

"I'm glad you did…I did too." Zuko smiled slightly, glancing at her a little. He looked up, staring straight ahead, immersed in his own thoughts.

"I haven't had this much fun at the beach since I was a kid…when my family was happy…" There was a pregnant silence between them. "But then, you already know that." Zuko sighed deeply, and halted. "Sorry." He muttered. This was hardly turning out to be the good time he had wanted it to be. Why did his bad childhood always have to ruin things? He had been writing to Katara for four years – why was talking so much harder?!

They stood together, silent and unmoving; their only company the trail of their footprints in the sand. Katara turned to Zuko. She reached up and tilted his head, turning it towards her. His eyes remained fixed on the sand between them.

"Don't be." She whispered. Slowly, Zuko raised his miserable eyes to meet hers.

Katara watched as the gloom and agony drained out of Zuko's golden eyes, replaced with wonder at the fervent love that filled her own. Katara felt the heat rising in her cheeks, but did not feel at all uncomfortable. The look in Zuko's eyes was one of such sweet and fiery longing that it burnt her up. Zuko felt as if he had swallowed the sun, his blood hotter than lava, such was the force of Katara's gaze.

They stood, fixed, bodies taught and constricted, Katara's fingers resting lightly on Zuko's jaw, their worlds narrowed down to just the face of the other. Both could feel their hearts beating wildly in their chests, the increase in the speed of their breathing, the longing to close the gap between them.

Slowly, tentatively they came together, and kissed.

Where their lips met golden sparks the colour of morning sunlight tingled, and the sea around their feet swelled, rushing in up to their ankles. In that moment they knew, irrefutably, that they were two halves of the one whole. Yin and Yang, at long last, combined. It was as if their whole lives they had been longing to be joined, but had not known or been aware of the desperate yearning until the moment that they were united. Zuko's arms moved to wrap around Katara's waist, and her arms moved up around his neck. Their kiss deepened, their lips tender, yet bruising against one another. Each could feel the soft fluttering of the other's eyelashes against their cheek, and all the things they had been trying to say to each other, all the things they had never know they had wanted to say, were expressed simply and easily as they became a melting fusion of two souls.

If the world had exploded at that moment they wouldn't have noticed. Even if all the stars fell out of the sky and into the sea turning it into a boiling cauldron, even if the moon and the sun swallowed one another up, they would have remained in the world that existed solely of each other, lit by the beacons that were their hearts.

* * *

When at last they drew apart, slowly, gently, and with bittersweet tenderness, they gazed at each other, drinking in the sight, their eyes bright. Both of them were flushed with the passion of their emotions, trembling slightly with the life that was rushing around their bodies. It was a kiss the like of which neither had ever experienced. To be sure they had enjoyed, and not enjoyed, previous kisses they had shared with Mai and Aang, but none had ever produced such a sense of belonging and oneness. Now they knew what it was to love. Now they knew what it was to be alive. Some unknown veil had been lifted, and now, at long last, they could see what love was truly like – it felt like they had lived their entire lives in utter darkness until then, such was the transformation.

A little shyly they continued walking, their hands clasped, neither able to keep the sweet smiles of unadulterated happiness from their faces, their eyes locked.

* * *

"When did you know?" Katara asked, her voice soft and relaxed. They were sitting on the slope of a sand dune, Katara leaning against Zuko's chest, wrapped in his arms. Her face was gentle and peaceful, her eyes half shut, basking in the gentle warmth that radiated from his skin. It was a feeling she felt sure she would never tire of. They were facing the sea, across which, at the distant horizon, the sun was beginning to set. A light breeze ruffled their hair and swimming clothes.

Zuko smiled gently down at the girl in his arms. "I'm not sure…at least not when it first began. It wasn't until Mai left me that I realised just how much I loved you." They both paused, listening intently as if an echo of Zuko's words still hung in the air. For Zuko it was almost a relief to at last be able to express his feelings, especially as he had been suppressing them for so long. His earlier explanation about Mai and the complications it had involved had felt like a great weight had been lifted. In their growing closeness over the years he had become used to confiding everything to Katara, and not doing so had been hard and felt wrong. "Before that you were just always in my mind, but some part of me would not left me feel all those feelings until I had let go of Mai." Katara nodded. She was happy that Zuko was so honourable, besides which, she had actually begun to like Mai, despite her pseudo 'I-hate-everything' attitude.

"So…there are no bad feelings between you two?" Zuko laughed a different, carefree laugh that she had never heard before. She liked it.

"No. She left me, and we were happy to remain just friends." Katara smiled and turned around in his arms so that their faces were almost touching, her arms resting on his chest.

"Like Aang, and I." Zuko nodded, gazing deeply into her eyes.

"Yeah, just like that." He agreed, softly.

They kissed.

"I know when you knew." Zuko murmured as they drew apart. Katara blushed slightly.

"You were watching me?" She whispered, partly mortified, partly pleased. Zuko grinned impishly.

"Yes." A coy smile crept over Katara's face.

"Well…" She looked up briefly. "That makes two of us." She blushed as she admitted it, gazing down at her hand where it rested on his chest. Zuko smiled down at the beautiful young woman that he loved as she nestled in his lap, eyes tender.

"I know." He whispered softly. Katara's head shot up, surprise in her eyes.

"You knew!" She cried, unable to keep the dismay from her voice. Zuko gave her embarrassed mouth a laughing kiss. Katara drew away somewhat reluctantly, her mind befuddled. "But…but how…when…?" Zuko leant back in the soft sand of the dune, gazing up at the sky, hands behind his head. Katara, slightly reluctantly, rolled off his lap and lay beside him, her head propped up on her elbow, watching him intently.

"Yesterday…I couldn't sleep; I was firebending in the courtyard, thinking about you…" Zuko glanced sideways at Katara, smiling as she blushed. "I couldn't sleep – you were haunting my mind." Katara frowned slightly at the description, but Zuko continued. "Then I heard a sound; a gasp. I thought it was you, but dismissed it. Then later, I couldn't sleep and I heard waterbending. I went to the courtyard, and you were there…" Zuko paused, his breath catching as he relived the memory. "I read what you wrote, and I heard your answer…" Zuko's heart beat faster, and he laughed. "I could have burned the whole palace down I was so happy." Katara blushed, and gazed down at her free hand which was tracing an aimless pattern in the shifting sand.

"It _was_ me…watching you before – and earlier in the day, too." She murmured, smiling. "I woke up from a dream about…us." Katara blushed furiously as Zuko sat up, eyes bright, and propped himself up on his arm, facing her.

"What happened?" He asked, curiously. Katara's blush deepened until her cheeks were the same shade as Zuko's clothes.

"Well…you said you loved me…and we kissed…and…I woke up." Katara was fiddling with her hair, embarrassed, looking down. Zuko leant forwards, then reached over and tilted her chin up. Their noses were almost touching. His eyes burned as bright as the sun from his face into hers.

"I _do_ love you," he whispered, his voice husky with emotion as if the words caught in his throat with disbelief that he was stating his feelings aloud to her in a world was real, "more than I can ever say." Katara smiled softly as he kissed her.

Katara felt a little breathless as they resurfaced.

"I love you too." She murmured, folding into his arms, and resting her head in the hollow of his shoulder. It was a perfect fit. Zuko breathed in the gentle fragrance of her hair, eyes closed. "The others will never believe us, you know." Katara sighed sleepily. She felt Zuko's chest move beneath her as he laughed, enjoying the reverberating sensation.

"No…" he murmured, "they'll probably think we're joking." Katara sat up as a thought occurred to her, smiling, her eyes twinkling.

"Sokka will have a fit." They grinned at each other, and laughed.

"He'll probably attack me." Zuko mused, still smiling, lying back in the sand. Katara frowned pugnaciously down at him.

"He won't if he knows what's good for him." Zuko smiled.

"I love the way you look when you're angry," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her down to rest on his chest. Katara blushed. "Besides, don't you think I can take care of myself?" Katara's face softened, her hands resting on either side of Zuko's face.

"I know you can; but that is one thing that I would have to do myself – it's a family thing…besides," she kissed him lightly. "I don't think having a fight is going to improve his chances of liking you as my boyfriend." They both felt a thrill at the word. _Boyfriend_, Zuko thought to himself, _I am Katara's boyfriend_. Katara sat up, and tossed her hair over one shoulder. "Not that he can stop us." She grinned sweetly. "Waterbending and firebending combined; we'd be unstoppable." Zuko knew he would never get tired of seeing her smile like that. A light lit in his eyes as he realised something.

"If Uncle was here, he would believe us." Katara gazed at him.

"Oh?" Zuko smiled and turned to her.

"Before I came to Ember Island, I went and asked him for advice. I couldn't understand why I wasn't feeling upset that Mai had left me. He said that relationships need to be balanced; like Yin and Yang. Mai and I were both Yangs, and he said that if I was to have any relationship with a girl, she would have to be a strong Yin. He said it was like Agni and Tui." Zuko gazed down at Katara, waiting for the realisation to hit her. Then, it flooded her eyes.

"It's like us." Zuko smiled and nodded.

"We are opposites; our elements, our Nations, the Spirits that we draw strength from…" Katara nodded. Then suddenly she smiled and leant forwards to whisper in his ear.

"But we work together in perfect harmony." Zuko grinned, a thrill shivering through his body. "Iroh is a wise man." Katara commented as she sat up once more. Zuko nodded.

"It took me a while to realise that, but it's only now that I have realised it that he's not always around anymore." Zuko's face fell slightly. Katara smiled at him.

"He's still there for you though." She whispered, brushing his cheek softly.  
"He always will be." Zuko smiled up at her, consoled. Katara gazed about. "We should probably be getting back."

Reluctantly, Zuko sat up with a sigh. "Do you think we should go and tell them?" He glanced out across the sea, squinting towards the half set sun. The sky was a bright flaming apricot colour, the clouds edged with the same shade of crimson as the sun. Even the sea was red, the horizon a bright pink line. Katara turned, following his gaze, then got to her feet.

"I suppose so…and if we're too late Sokka will go nuts if he misses dinner." Zuko laughed lightly, and pulled himself to his feet, wrapping an arm around Katara's waist. She was the perfect height for him to do that.

"Should we tell them as soon as we get back?" He asked as they began to retrace their footsteps. Katara sighed deeply against him.

"Yeah I guess…no. Wait till after dinner – then at least Sokka will be full." Zuko laughed; Katara was a proper tactician.

"I think that might be handy. What about the others?" Katara shrugged slightly.

"Suki won't mind…in fact I think she'll be fine with it. Toph will definitely believe us…I mean, she can feel if we're lying…" Katara's voice trailed away.

"And Aang?" Zuko prompted gently. Katara smiled up at him.

"Oh, he'll be fine with it. Surprised, but fine." Zuko frowned. As much as he knew that Katara and Aang had separated easily, he still wasn't as sure as Katara about what the Avatar's reaction would be.

"How can you be sure?" Katara laughed and looked up into Zuko's anxious face.

"Well…suffice it to say that he and Toph have been becoming closer over the past four years." Zuko's eyes widened slightly.

"Ohh…" He murmured. It made perfect sense of course, once he thought about it. The fact that Toph and Aang had been together at the Western Air temple before he had sent out his invitation, the newfound interest Aang seemed to have in Toph, and her unusual shyness around him. Zuko wondered why he hadn't noticed sooner. But, as he glanced down at Katara, smiling, he realised that he had been quite preoccupied himself.

* * *

They were almost back at the Summer Palace, the beach just around the corner of a large boulder, when Katara stopped, her hand on his chest.

"What is it?" Zuko asked, gazing down at her in concern. Katara looked up at him, restraining a smile.

"Can you promise me one thing?" Zuko nodded, solemnly. "Don't go to Sokka for advice again." Katara grinned, restraining a giggle. Zuko frowned slightly, a little put out.

"Oh, I can safely promise _that_." He said, a little grimly. "You have _no_ idea how stupid I felt…" He muttered, scrubbing a hand through his hair. Katara laughed.

"Try living with it in the family." She said wryly. Zuko laughed.

"Who knows," he murmured softly, bending down to kiss her, "I might just do that."

Katara smiled and blushed.

* * *

"Where did you two go?" Suki enquired as Zuko and Katara appeared around the side of a boulder, no longer making body contact. Katara shrugged.

"Oh…we went for a walk…had a chat…that sort of thing." She smiled. Suki nodded.

"We were just thinking it was about time to go back inside; we've already taken the dishes back in." Aang remarked, standing from where he had been sitting by Toph. Zuko nodded, glancing around at the sky.

"Yeah; the sun's almost set. It'll be time for dinner soon." Zuko shot Katara a fleeting but meaningful glance as he spoke. Toph earthbended herself to her feet, then with a stomp, sent the table back into the side of the cliff. Katara walked over to where Sokka was lying in the sand, snoring slightly, her hands on her hips.

"I really don't get what you see in him, Suki." She commented. Suki shrugged, smiling slightly.

"I think it's sweet." She said softly. One of Katara's eyes twitched slightly, and she prodded Sokka with her toe.

"Sokka! Wake up!" She called. Sokka merely turned over onto his stomach, flopping onto Katara's foot, and pinning it beneath him. Katara, caught by surprise, overbalanced, her arms windmilling as she fell backwards. Zuko shot forwards, and caught her before she hit the ground.

"You OK?" He asked. Katara gazed up into his concerned upside down face, and smiled.

"Yeah, thanks." With a tug she pulled her foot out from under her brother, and Zuko brought her upright once more, reluctantly letting go of her. Katara regarded her still snoring brother.

"I don't think we'll be able to wake him up, you know." She said, frowning. On the opposite side of the beach Toph grinned.

"Want to bet?" She cracked her fingers, then dug her heel into the sand. Sokka shot up ten feet into the air, propelled by a solidified pillar of sand. Somewhere between the impact of the sand and when it released him to fly through the air, Sokka woke up with a yell. On the beach Aang, Zuko and Katara watched, Suki anxious.

"AAAAAAGH!" Sokka began to fall, his arms flailing.

There was a loud thud, and a slight roar from Appa.

Sokka pulled his head out of Appa's fur, and fell to his feet, glaring at Toph, his head covered in bits of Appa's hair, shadows beneath his eyes. Grumbling to himself, Sokka stalked back into the palace. There was a pause, and then all the others began laughing.

* * *

Suki and Katara prepared the dinner, while Toph and the boys mucked around. There had been a moment when Zuko appeared, under the impression that only Katara was there, and having been about to offer to help, but then, seeing Suki, had quickly backtracked and disappeared to Suki's confusion. Katara went about her tasks mechanically, her mind dwelling on Zuko. She was still having difficulty in processing the realisation that that morning she had only just realised that she loved him, and yet now, they were together. He was her boyfriend, she was his girlfriend. It was something so surreal that she would never have thought it possible.

Zuko, after his abandoned attempt to help in the kitchen, had returned to Aang, Sokka and Toph, joining in their antics, but could not keep his mind off of Katara. They were _together_. It was something he would never have believed possible. Previously, before he had changed, he knew he would have been disgusted and affronted at such a suggestion…but now… There were several times when his happiness bubbled up in him, trying to erupt in laughter, but he held it in check. It had to be kept a secret, until after dinner at least.


End file.
